LANL Licenses Polarization Cryptography Technique

Quantum encryption technology based on random photon polarization could give ordinary people access to truly secure commerce, banking, communications and data transfer.

Developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the technology has been licensed to Whitewood Encryption Systems Inc. for commercialization.

The LANL technology uses random polarization to generate random numbers for real-time encryption at high data rates. It represents an improvement over existing random-number generators based on mathematical formulas that can be broken by a computer with sufficient speed and power.

This device uses quantum mechanics to generate random numbers for use in a cryptographic key for secure transmission of information between two parties. Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“Quantum systems represent the best hope for truly secure data encryption because they store or transmit information in ways that are unbreakable by conventional cryptographic methods,” said Dr. Duncan McBranch, chief technology officer at LANL.

The LANL technology is simple and compact, and could be made into a unit comparable to a computer thumb drive or compact data card reader, according to the researchers. Units could be manufactured at extremely low cost, putting them in the price range of other consumer electronics.

The licensing agreement allows Whitewood Encryption Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Allied Minds, to use the LANL technology in efforts to secure modern communications and make it available to the public.

For more information, visit www.lanl.gov.